Lawrence (Laurie) Baron, now retired, served as the Nasatir Professor of Modern Jewish History at San Diego State University. He served from 1988 to 2006 as director of SDSU’s Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies. He was the founder in 1995 of the Western Jewish Studies Association.
He writes two satire columns for San Diego Jewish World: “Humoring the Headlines” under his byline, and “Hounding the Headlines,” under the byline of his dog Elona.
Books to his credit, available on Amazon, include:
Projecting the Holocaust into the Present: The Changing Focus of Contemporary Holocaust Cinema
The Modern Jewish Experience in World Cinema
The eclectic anarchism of Erich Muhsam (Men & movements in the history & philosophy of anarchism)
His most recent articles are:
“Making Room for the Jews: The House I Live In (1945),” AJS Perspectives, Summer 2023, 86-88.
“The Revolt of Job: Salvaging the Lost World of Rural Hungarian Hasidim,” Journal of Jewish Identities, 16:1-2 (January/July 2023), 181-198.
“Persistent Parallels, Resistant Particularities: Holocaust Analogies and Avoidance in Armenian Genocide Centennial Cinema, in Armenian and Jewish Experience between Expulsion and Destruction, ed. Sarah M. Ross and Regina Randhofer (Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2021), 267-296.
“The Pioneering American Jewish Women Directors from Elaine May to Claudia Weill,” Jews and Gender (Studies in Jewish Civilization), ed. Leonard Greenspoon (W. Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2021), 217-243.
By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ US Attorney General Loretta Lynch indicted Fifa officials for taking bribes in return for scheduling the World Cup in particular countries. Fifa attempted to strike a plea deal to drop the charges if the organization changed its name to Fee For. Although it is not known whether Lynch is a […]
Humoring the headlines: May 29, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireLesser Known Summer Blockbusters Part 2 By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Mad Blacks: Fury Road: Heavily-armed figures prowl the apocalyptic landscape of ruins and rubble in strange-looking armored vehicles shooting at anyone who threatens them. No wonder the residents of the African American neighborhoods of Baltimore, Cleveland, and Ferguson view them as the enemy. *
Humoring the headlines: May 26, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireSummer Blockbusters By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Summer is upon us, and, so are summer blockbusters. Here’s a preview of some independent films that contain less special effects and receive less publicity. * Holdergeist Although officially retired, the spirit of Eric Holder continues to haunt congressional Republicans. It features lots of chills and thrills as
Humoring the headlines: May 23, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Saudi Arabia posted an advertisement for hiring eight new executioners. If it does not receive enough applications, it may outsource beheadings to ISIS. * Nine people were killed and one-hundred seventy arrested following a shootout between rival motorcycle gangs in Waco, Texas. The US government is offering amnesty to those
Humoring the headlines: May 21, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ The new coalition formed by Benjamin Netanyahu is the most right-wing government Israel has ever had. It is so right-wing that if Israel were a ship of state sailing West on the Mediterranean towards the Atlantic, it would run aground on Cyprus the first day. * B.B. King died this
Humoring the headlines: May 15, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ It was announced that Covenant Journey will provide subsidized trips to Israel for Christian college students. It will be just like the Operation Birthright tours except no drinking, sexual relations, and kvetching. * Benjamin Netanyahu formed a coalition government of 61 Knesset Members out of 120. Although many observers doubt whether such
Humoring the headlines: May 11, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ The Senate voted 98-1 to grant Congress 30 days to review the nuclear accord with Iran and pass a resolution of disapproval prohibiting President Obama from lifting congressional sanctions on Tehran. Only Senator Tom Cotton voted against the bill because it didn’t include his amendment to bomb Iran even if
Humoring the headlines: May 8, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Ethiopian Israelis clashed with Israeli police to protest the beating of an Ethiopian Israeli soldier by the police. The demonstrators carried signs saying, “If we wanted to be treated like this, we would have moved to Baltimore” and “Black Jewish lives matter.” * When the news that American Pharoah won
Humoring the headlines: May 5, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Muslim groups welcomed the announcement by Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Renald Luzier that he will no longer draw the prophet Muhammad. They apparently didn’t read the end of his statement saying he was now trying to figure out how to depict Allah. In a related story many authors who belong to
Humoring the headlines: April 30, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Jeb Bush revealed that he is on the Paleolithic diet to lose weight. To one-up Bush, Ted Cruz disclosed that he is on the Neanderthal diet and only eats raw meat from animals he has shot himself while exercising his second amendment rights. * Russian hackers not only broke into
Humoring the headlines: April 27, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Turkey continues to deny that the genocide occurred. Doctors from the World Health Organization have dispatched a research team to Turkey to study the cause of collective amnesia. * Political pundits are abuzz that Marco Rubio is leading among the Republican
Humoring the headlines: April 24, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Kim Kardashian toured Armenia to visit the home of her ancestors and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Who would have thought that President Obama and Congress would be challenged to keeping up with the Kardashians? * Volunteer police deputy Robert Bates apologized to the family of Eric
Humoring the headlines: April 20, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Marco Rubio announced his candidacy for president by criticizing the President “for looking backwards” and having “forgotten that when America fails to lead, global chaos inevitably follows.” To set an example of how he will break with the past and restore American power, he promised to invade Cuba. * Responding
Humoring the headlines: April 16, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO–Following are some nursery rhymes for Campaign 2016 Hillary, Billary, Doc This time there’s no Barack. You’ll take the heat But not defeat. Unless Warren joins the flock. * Sing a song of Ted Cruz His campaign has begun. One of many schnorrers From Sheldon Adelson. Bibi’s right, Barack’s wrong. Protect
Humoring the headlines: Campaign Nursery Rhymes Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA